Reenforced inner sole and method of reenforcing the same



Dm, 9, WSL R. P. FRYE 1,838,097

REENFORCED INNER SOLE AND METHOD OF REENFORCLNG THE SAME Filed Nay 19, 1930 wmwy@ Patented Dec. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT P. FBYE, F IAIRLBOROUGII, MAMCHUSETTS Application med Hay 19, 1980. Serial No. 453,467.

This invention relates to a welt shoe insole composed of a sole-shaped bod and an inseam stitch-receiving rib of flexible material, such as duck or canvas, attached to the bod and projecting from the' under face thereo The invention is embodied in certain improvements in the form and construction of the rib, and the means for attaching it to the body, and in the method of forming and attaching the rib.

The object is to provide a simple strong and durable reenforced inner sole having certain advantages hereinafter set forth.

0f the accompanying drawings forming A l5 a part of this speciicat1on,--

Figure 1 is a side view, showing the bottom face of a reenforced insole embodying the invention, the heel end of the body being broken away.

Figure 2 1s a side viewof a portion of the body, without the reenforcement,

Figure 3 shows in perspective, a portion of the flexible reenforcing strip as prepared for application to the body. Figure 4 indicates the initial form imparted to the strip by a folder.

Figure 5 indicates the form of the strip as it emerges from the folder.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 6-6 of Figurel l, showing the strip as prepared by the folder and as it appears during the operation of stitching its longitudinal edge portions to the body.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, showing the rib sprung outward to form one side of a V-shaped channel.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7, showing a portion of a shoe upper attached to the base portion of the rib by lasting fasteners.

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8, showing the upper and a welt attached to the rib by inseam stitches.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

The insole body 12, of any suitable material, may have a thin facing or veneer 13, constituting its upper or foot bearing surface and covering the stitches attaching to liquid content to enable the coated strip to pass throu h a strip folder without objectionable adesion of the coatin thereto, the coating being so conditioned t at when the strip is folded to press two portions of the` s coating together, said portions will adhere to each other. v

In practice, I spread the latex in its natu'- ral unmodified form as a coating on one side of the strip 14, and allow it to dry until it becomes so modified that the coatin will not o adhere objectionably to and smear t e folder, and that portions of the coating contacting with each other and pressed together, will not adhere to each other., I find that the coating may be dried several days before the E stri is folded without rendering pressed toget er portions of it incapable of adhering to eachother.

The strip having the coatin of modified latex is passed through a fol er organized so to form the strip, first, as shown by Figure 4, and then as shown by Figure 5. The strip emerging from the folder has the form shown by Figure 5, and includes a two layer rib 16, formed by a longitudinal zone of the strip, 35 an inner flange 17, projecting inward-from the base of the rib, and an outer flange 18, projecting outward from said base, said anges being formed by other longitudinal zones of the strip.

The modified latex coating portions on the rib layers meet and are caused to adhere to each other by ressure exerted on the rib by the folder and by the instrumentalities of the two-needle sewing-machine hereinafter mentioned. The folder liattens the rib 16 on the inner flange 17, as shown by Figure 5, and delivers the formed strip to the under side of the body 12. Portions of the coating 15 are on the meeting sides of the rib layers, and we caused to adhere to each other as already stated, and other portions are on the inner sides of the flanges 17 and 18, and caused to adhere to the body 12. i

The strip is formed by the folder after the above described modification of the latex forming the coating 15, hence the coating is not liable to stick to .and smear the forming surfaces of the folder, and is so conditioned that whenthe folded strip is delivered to the body 12, the meeting sides of the rib layers are united to each other by portions of the coating 15 and the inner sides of the flanges from the folder.

17 and 18 are united to the body by other portions of said coating.

The flanges 17 and 18 are additlonally secured to the body 12 by a two-needle sewingmachine organized to simultaneously form a row of inner stitches 20, and a row of outer stitches 21, said stitches uniting the flanges 17 and 18 to the body, after the strip emerges The machine includes instrumentalities which press the layers of the rib against each other and the llanges against the body 12.

Said instrumentalities in pressing the rib layers against each other, also press the innei` layer of the rib against the inner flange 17, as shown by Figure 6. A portion of the outer layer of the rib is at the same time stretched and tensioned at 16a where it is tract causes the rib to normally assume ap proximately the inclined position shown by Figure 7 when the pressure is removed. This position is assumed vby the rib as fast as it passes from the throat plate. Thereafter the rib remains inclined so that it overhangs the inner flange 17, the.overhanging side of the rib and the inner flange forming a V-shaped channel 22. Outward springing or movement of the rib to a position approximately at right angles to the body is prevented by the union vof the rib layers to each other by the coatin 17, such union preventing the rib layers rom slipping on each other. The V-shape of the channel 22 is therefore permanent.

One advantage of the permanent V-shaped channel is due to the fact that the acute angled bottom thereof is located in close proximity to the bottom face of the body 12,

y and is separated therefrom only by the thickness of the flange 17, which has only the thickness of t e strip 15, so that fasteners passed through the rib and anchored in the acute angled bottom of the channel 'have their anchoring portions located close to the body 12, and are therefore adapted to form a. tight seam. This advantage is particularly important when the fasteners are the usual inseam stitches 24 (Figure 9), uniting a Welt 25 to the rib 16, although it is not negligible when lasting fasteners 26 (Figure 8), such as Wire staples, are used to connect the inturned edge 27 of an upper with the rib. In either case, the anchoring portions of the fasteners find their seat or bearing at the acute angled apex of the channel close to the body 12.

The outer flange 18 having only a single thickness, is so narrow that it does not extend to the margin of the body and forms a seat for -a portion of the inwardly turned edge of the upper, the flange being uniformly thin throughout its entire length, so that the entire seat formed thereby is in close proximity to the body. The entire portion of the upper bearing on the flange 18 is therefore in close proximity to the body and spaced Auniformly therefrom only by the thickness of the flange 18. This uniform spacing of the inturned edge of the upper from the under surface of the body 12, facilitates the bearing of the 'anchoring portions of the above described fasteners at the acute angled apex of the channel close to the body.

The width of the inner flange 17 is greater than that of the rib 16, so that the rib only partly overhangs or overlaps the inner flange, an edge portion of said flange being Vexposed for the reception of the inner stitches 20, said stitches being spaced from the rib a distance greater than the width of the rib, so that when the rib is flattened on the inner flange, as shown by Figure 6, a portion of said flange is exposed to receive the inner stitches. The outer flange 18 is also exposed for the reception of the outer `stitches 21, the two lines of stitches being simultaneously formed.

As shown by Figures 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9, the zone of the bottom face of the body 12 on which the flanges 17 and 18 bear, is provided with a coating 28 conforming to said flanges. Said coating is adapted to adhesively unite the flanges to the body 12, and is composed of latex applied to the body in an unmodified condition and modified before the flanges are applied to the body 12, so that pressure of the flanges against the coating 28 causes adhesion of the portions of the ycoating 15 on said flanges to the coating 28. I find it desirable to modify the latex coating 28 by allowing it to dry not more than from six to eight hours, before the flanges 17 and 18 are pressed against it.

The coating 28 and the portion of the coating 15 on the flange 17 cause a firm union between all parts of the ange to the body 12, and prevents liability of the pulling away of said flange from the body between the inner stitches 20 and the rib 16, by strain exerted on the rib by the inseam stitches. The coating 28 also unites the outer lflange 18 to the body 12` but this is a result of minor importance. The described union of the flange 17 to the body is important, and renders unnecessary a row of stitches between the stitches 2O and the rib 16. Such stitches cannot be inserted in the portion of the flange overlapped by the rib 16, and therefore cannot be in effectively close proximity to the base of the rib, the fact being that when the stitches unitinor the rib flanges to the body 12 are formed, the rib is necessaril pressed against the flange 17, as shown by lligure 6.

It will be seen that a supply of sole bodies having suitably modified coatings 28 may be kept in stock and ready for the application thereto of the rib flanges 17' and 18, having coatings of modified latex, the adhesion of the flanges of each rib to the Coating 28 of each body being caused by pressure and aiding the stitches 20 and 21 in securing the flanges to the body 12, and particularly the portion of the flange 17 between the inner stitches 2O and the base of the rib. The modified coating 28 being in a dry or not tacky condition, is not disturbed or affected in any way by the contact of the strip 14, or any part of the sewing-machine with it, and performs the function only when the rib flanges are pressed against it.'

I claim:

1. A reenforced insole comprising a sole body, havin .a coating on a marginal zone thereof, sai coating being normally nonadhesive and adapted to be rendered adhesive by pressure, an elongated flexible reenforcing strip having on one side a similar coating, the strip being folded and bent to convert a longitudinal zone thereof into a twollayer rib, and other longitudinal zones into single thickness outer and inner flanges projecting in opposite directions from the base of the rib, the flanges being united to the body and the rib layers united to each other by said body and strip coatings, one layer of the rib formed by the united layers being tensioned so that the rib is normally inclined inwardly from the margin of the body and maintained permanently inclined and overhanging the inner flange and caused to form therewith a V-shaped inseam stitch-receiving channel whose stitch-supporting bottom is acute angled and separated from the under surface of the body only by the thickness of the inner flange, so that inseam stitches laid in the acute-angled channel bottom are close to the body and produce a tight seam.

2. A reenforced insole as s cified by claim 1, the outer flange being re -atively narrow, its outer side forming a seat for a portion of the inturned margin of an upper, said seat being separated from the under surface of the body only by the thiclmess of the outer flange.

3. A reenforced inner sole as specified by claim 1, a marginal zone of the bottom face of the sole being provided with a latex coating suitably modlfied and coextensive with the inner strip flange, the coating of said flange being united to said body coating from the inner stitches to the base of the rib.

4. That improvement in the method of providing an inner sole body with a reenforcing rib, which consists in applying to one side of an elongated flexible reenforcing strip a coating composed of an .aqueous dispersion of ru ber, modifying said coating to cause adhesion of pressed together portions thereof to each other, folding and bending said strip to convert it into a two-layer rib, and inner and outer flanges projecting oppositely from the base of the rib, said flanges bearing portions of said adhesive coating, pressing the portions of the coating on the layers of the rib against each other, pressing the flanges against the bottom surface of the bod and pressing the rib against the inner ange, thereby uniting the rib layers to each other, uniting the flanges to the body, and causing a permanent inclination of the rib inward from the margin of the body.

5. That improvement in the method of providing an inner sole body with a reenforcing rib, which consists in applying to one side of an elongated flexible reenforcin strip, a coatin composed of an aqueous ispersion of rub er, modifying said coating to cause adhesion of pressed together portions thereof to each other, folding and bending said strip to convert it into a two-layer rib and inner and outer flanges projecting oppositely from the base of the rib, the said strip coating being on one side of said flanges, applying to a marginal zone of the wider side of said insole body, a marginal coating coextensive with said inner flange, said coating being composed of an aqueous dispersion of rubber, pressing the portions of the coating on the -layers of the rib against each other, and pressing the portions ofthe coating on the inner flange against the marginal coating on the body. y

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

ROBERT P. FRYE. 

